Favorite Schools

Favorite Teams

Air National Guard will open Reaper drone hangar at Fort Drum

reaperdrum.jpg

An MQ-9 Reaper takes off from Wheeler Sack Airfield at Fort Drum in February, 2012. Military officials will take part in a ribbon-cutting Tuesday on a new hangar at the airfield that will house two of the drones operated remotely by the Air National Guard's 174th Attack Wing at Hancock Field.
(NY Air National Guard)

The 174th Attack Wing of the Air National Guard will open a new hangar Tuesday to house its remotely-piloted drone aircraft at Wheeler Sack Army Airfield at Fort Drum, near Watertown.

The $5.1 million hangar will house two MQ-9 Reaper drones operated by pilots at Hancock Field in Mattydale over restricted military air space at Fort Drum.

Among those expected at a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday are Maj. Gen. Patrick Murphy, the adjutant general of New York; Maj. Gen. Verle Johnston, commander of the New York Air National Guard; and Col. Greg Semmel, commander of the 174th Attack Wing.

"This new hangar directly impacts the 174th Attack Wing's capability to execute daily flying operations from Fort Drum in support of the Air Combat Command's MQ-9 training syllabus, and directly impacts our ability to supply combat ready aircrew to the combatant commanders in support of worldwide operations," Semmel said in a statement.

The hangar is the first of several building projects for the Air National Guard at Fort Drum. Funding for a second hangar was approved by Congress in June. That hangar will be built in the coming year, according to Air National Guard officials.